crimson chalk chapter form
by thatpotterfreak
Summary: an ex prisoner is found dead on his door step and the only clue is a note written in chalk. grace and rigsby grow even closer and janes mentalism skills are put to the test. also this is in chapter form
1. the letter

Chapter one: the letter

Grace Van Pelt lay slumped at her desk at the CBI base in Sacramento California. Once again she had been left behind to do the boring computer work while the rest of the team were off actually doing something. She let her thoughts wander to the team, she wondered what they might be doing right now. Patrick Jane, the teams consultant would probably be manipulating or annoying someone, most likely Teresa Lisbon, the boss. Lisbon, although she was short, she was tough, she was probably in the middle of an arrest or shoot off. Grace shuddered as she remembered the time she got shot. Cho was most likely be with Rigsby. As Grace thought of Rigsby, she thought of the time he had kissed her while he was hypnotised, and the time he had told her that he loved her when they looked for a secret passageway together. When she thought about it, he had said that he loved her so many times, but she hadn't said it very much in return, suddenly she got an idea. She looked around for some nice paper and found some light blue paper._ What do I say to him, I love you isn't enough, I guess he makes me feel happy and safe around him, but there has to be more than that! He is always there for me, like when I got shot down and how he put his life on the line when Dan attacked him. _Finally she decided that she would write about why she loved him. When she finished she put it into a cream envelope and sealed it as she heard voices down the hall, it sounded like Jane and Lisbon, she quickly put the envelope on Rigsby's desk then went back to her own.

'Did you get him?' Grace asked

'Yea, Cho has gone out to get the case closed pizza and Rigsby should be here any minute' Lisbon said

'Do you want to know how we got him?' Jane asked.

'He has been gloating about it the whole way here' Lisbon said exasperated

'You're just jealous because you didn't think of it yourself' Jane teased with one of his signature smiles.

'Whatever' Lisbon said walking into her office.

'So', Jane said, 'Do you want to know?'

'Sure' Grace said

'I knew that Miller did it as he was the only one who wasn't fully committed to the gang and he was in a fight with Dominic, so I carefully planted the gangs details in his locker because I knew he was out to get Fraser as well as Dominic, so when he went over to Frasers house all he had to do was get in, shoot and get out, which he thought was easy enough but we had taken Fraser out of the house and put a dummy in the bed, so when he shot the dummy, we came out and booked him, rather cunning, don't you think?'

'Very nice Jane' as she looked around for Rigsby.

'Ah, don't worry, my fair lady, your lover will be here soon.' Jane teased

Grace felt herself turning red. Jane had a habit of doing that with a lot of people.

'And here's the man himself' Jane said as Rigsby walked in.

'What about me?' Rigsby asked with his mouth full of biscuit.

'Grace has gotten tired of waiting and needs her Rigsby fix' Jane said.

'Jane' Grace moaned

Jane put his hands up in defence 'Only stating the obvious' he said as he went to lie down on 'his' couch.

Rigsby went to sit down at his desk when he noticed the envelope on his desk.

'What's this?' he asked

Grace quickly came over 'Don't open it around Jane Cho or Lisbon' she whispered

'Sure thing' he said excitedly

'Pizza's here' Cho called 'Can someone get the cups and plates?'

'We will' Grace called pulling Rigsby along with her.

They walked into the kitchen and Rigsby started to get plates out.

'Here', Grace said taking the plates off him 'I will do this, you read the letter'

'Sure' Rigsby replied happy to get out of dishes duty.

Grace continued getting cups and plates out and all the while watching Rigsby read the letter. She turned around realising she had forgotten napkins when she felt Rigsby's hand on her waist. She put down the napkins and turned around to Rigsby.

'Thank you for that Grace, I love you' he whispered.

'I love you too' she whispered back.

His hands moved up to her face and back into her hair. She slid her arms around his waist and lent in to kiss him. She felt his warm soft lips against hers as she ran her fingers through his hair and he responded by doing the same, she savoured every moment of the kiss. Just as they were nearing the end Cho came round to see what was taking them so long to see them in mid kiss.

'Hey van pe- whoa, never mind' Cho said as he came in.

Rigsby and Grace quickly pulled away and started gathering the plates and cups.

'You two can be off kitchen duty for a while until you learn what to do, properly' Cho said to them as they walked back into the main room.

Jane started to pour the wine into the cups and Rigsby opened the pizza boxes.

'Case closed' Jane said raising his glass

'Case closed' they all said in unison

'So Grace, what was in the letter that you wrote to Rigsby?' Jane asked

'Nothing you need to know about' she replied quickly

'Oh, but I do need to know, anyway, reading your face, it's probably in some form a romantic letter, isn't it?'

'If I say yes, will you leave me alone?'

'I most certainly will'

'Fine then, it is, happy now?'

'Yes, thank you very much'

Grace rolled her eyes at him and smiled over at Rigsby, who smiled back.

'So let's see this letter then Rigsby' Cho said with a grin

'No, it clearly says for my eyes only' Rigsby lied quickly

'You're lying' Jane pointed out

'Am not' Rigsby protested

'Oh, just leave him alone' Lisbon said 'what's in that letter is none of your business'

'Fine boss' Jane and Cho said

They continued eating the pizza, discussing cases and teasing Rigsby when the night watchman came in to see what was going on.

'Hello Harvey, how have you been?' Jane asked with a friendly smile.

'Very well thank you Mr. Jane, just wondering how long you guys will be here for'

Lisbon looked at the clock, it read 10.18.

'We should probably get going now', she leant into her team, 'And I'm not cleaning up'

'I did it last week' Grace quickly pointed out

'So did I' Rigsby followed

'Well, it looks like you two boys are on washing up duty' Lisbon said to Jane and Cho who sighed and started to gather the boxes.

'Hey, Rigsby, do you want the last slice?' Cho asked

Rigsby, although he was tempted to, declined as he knew Grace wouldn't want to kiss him if he had greasy cheese around his mouth.

'Na, I think I'm ok, you can have it if you want' he said walking over to his desk to grab his stuff.

'You sure' Cho said looking shocked; it wasn't like Rigsby to turn down food, especially pizza.

'Yea, uh, I have had quite a bit already'

'Looks like Grace is doing some good for him' Jane muttered to Cho.

'I'd say' he replied

Grace grabbed her purse and started walking up to Rigsby.

'Come with me' she whispered to him and pulled him along.

'Bye everyone' Rigsby called out and Grace waved.

'Bye Rigsby, have fun with Grace' Jane called out

Rigsby turned around 'Just because you're jealous' he called out as he walked out of the bull pen

'Dream on' Cho called back

Grace led Rigsby down a dark narrow hallway and into a storage room. Rigsby was looking around, trying to find a light switch. Grace caught his hand and pulled him towards her; Rigsby took her face and pulled it towards his own.

'I love you' Grace whispered just before they kissed

She felt his heart racing and she could feel her own beating a million times a second, he started kissing intensely, like their lives depended on it, she felt his short smooth hair between her fingers and felt his running through her own long red hair, they kissed until the need for air broke them apart. He continued to hold her face.

'You are so beautiful Grace; you know that, don't you?' Rigsby whispered

'Thank you and thank you for being so considerate about the pizza'

'That's my pleasure' he said

'We should probably get going' she said

Rigsby, although he was reluctant went anyway. They walked into the elevator and pushed ground floor.

'Grace, I was wondering if-' but he was cut off by the elevator opening, and Lisbon stepped in.

'Wasn't interrupting anything was I?' she asked

'No' Rigsby quickly said

'Ok' she said awkwardly

The ride quickly passed thankfully and they were soon in the car park, beside Grace's car.

'I'll see you tomorrow' she said to Rigsby

'Yea' he said

'I love you' she whispered

'You too' he said kissing her then heading off to his own car.

Grace continued looking at him, completely mesmerised. _I wonder what he was about to tell me, maybe ask me out to dinner, maybe I should ask him, or should I leave it and let him tell me in his own time, god I will kill Lisbon if it's something really important! _She heard a toot of a horn in the background and say Rigsby pulling out of the parking lot. She waved and got into her own car.


	2. abuse and invites

Chapter two: abuse and invites

Grace sat at her desk, once again completely bored, she had no idea where anyone was, what's more whatever Rigsby was going to say to her was still bugging her, _why didn't he say in the car park, wasn't it romantic enough or something?_ She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard footsteps.

'Morning Van Pelt' Teresa said as she walked in

'Morning boss, where is everyone?'

'Jane and Cho are in the kitchen getting tea but I don't know where Rigsby is'

'Oh, I think I might get some tea' she said

'Tell them to get some for me as well' she called as the phone started to ring.

She walked into the kitchen just as Rigsby did

'Rigsby' she acknowledged

'Hey Grace' he said

She turned to Jane. 'Lisbon wants tea' she said

'Sure thing' he said making an extra cup

She made herself one then went back to her desk when Lisbon walked in.

'37 year old man has been found dead in on his back door step, and he has recently been let out of prison' Lisbon said reading of a piece of paper, thinking everyone was there, 'Wait, where is everyone?'

'Kitchen, they should be here any minute' Grace replied

'Dammit, JANE!' she yelled

He appeared out of nowhere

'Yes Lisbon' he said with a cheeky smile

'Get everyone in here will you' she ordered

'Why don't you just yell for them?'

'Because I have a little useful message sender called Jane and he will do as he is told otherwise he isn't coming to 'consult' people' she snapped

Jane put his hands up in defence 'Alright Lisbon, I'm going it's ok' he said as he walked of

He walked off and returned with Rigsby and Cho.

'What's up boss?' Rigsby asked as he walked in.

Lisbon filled him in on the details

'Do we have any leads?' he asked

'No, but he has two daughters who no longer live with him as he abused them' she explained

'Revenge maybe?' Cho said

'Don't know, come one lets go see the body' Jane said excitedly

'Jane, you don't make my decisions' Lisbon said 'As you are not the boss'

'Oh, yes almighty Lisbon' Jane teased

'Just go' Lisbon said annoyed

They went into the SUVs and headed towards a mid city suburb where the body lay, Grace Rigsby and Cho travelled in one car and Lisbon and Jane in the other.

The drive to the scene was although quick, it was very awkward for Cho, knowing exactly what was going on, they drove in silence and what took minutes, but seemed like hours was finally over as they pulled up to the house. The house was small with a green exterior and a brown roof, it had a small garden with a metal fence running around the perimeter. The garden was over grown and had weeds all through it. They walked round the back of the house where a small concrete path lead to a car port and rubbish bins, and on the steps to the back door, lay a man's body with three gunshot wounds through his head and back.

'His name is Blake Carsella, he is 37, and has been in jail for the last 18 months for child abuse, he was released about two weeks ago' Lisbon said

'Someone really didn't like him' Jane said as he examined the body

'Why do you say that?' Lisbon asked

'You can't see from where you are but under him it says you sick foolish bastard' he explained

Lisbon and the rest of the team walked to Jane to see the note written in blue chalk.

'The killer wrote that there then when he came home, they were waiting, probably in a bush, until he got home, and as he read the message, the killer came out and shot him' Jane said

'There are not bushes here Jane' Lisbon said

'Then behind the rubbish bins, and judging from the inside of his car, the man's a drinker, so he was probably at the bar last night'

'So let's go to the bar then, Rigsby and Van pelt, you can do that, Cho, I need you to go back to HQ and look up the case against him, Jane and I are going to inform his kids'

'Sure thing boss' Rigsby said as he headed back to the cars with the others close behind. And with that they all left the scene leaving it to forensics. Lisbon and Jane drove out of the suburbs towards a small beach front bay, where the man's daughters now lived.

'I like the beach' Jane said

'That's really nice to know' Lisbon replied without taking her eyes off the road.

'Do you like the beach Lisbon?

'Yes, Jane now won't you please leave me alone?'

'Aww, what fun would that be? He teased

'It would be plenty fun for me, now won't you please behave yourself, we are here' she said as she pulled up to the house.

The house, compared to the murder scene, looked like something out of a fairy tale. It was a small white cottage with black windows, a small front lawn with a low white picket fence running around it. Parked in the driveway was a white Honda civic that had clean me written in the dust on the back window. Lisbon opened the small gate and walked up the path to the front door.

'Do you think someone will be awake, it's 8:15' she asked Jane

'It's Friday a school day, the caregiver is a teacher and the two kids attend the high school where she works' he said

'True, what time does the school start?'

'9 I think'

'So we better make this quick' she said as she knocked on the door.

'Ebony can you get that?' someone yelled from the back of the house

'Yea' the girl who was assumed Ebony yelled back

They heard footsteps coming towards them and then to door opened to a pretty girl with pale skin, dark brown curly hair and vivid green eyes she had her school uniform on which was a blue pleated skirt and white blouse, she had a toothbrush in her mouth, which she took out and put on the table by the door.

'Can I help you?' she asked

'Are you Ebony Carsella?

'Yea, who are you guys?'

'I'm agent Lisbon from the CBI, and this is our consultant, Patrick Jane'

'Hello, so why are you guys here?'

'I'm afraid we aren't here on a positive note'

'Oh, god what's happened?'

'Perhaps we could go inside?'

'Yea sure, I will just go get my sister and Cassie' she said as she led them into the living room.

'Cassie, Gaby, come here, it's the CBI' she yelled towards the back of the house

'Coming' the two yelled in unison

The first to arrive was a girl who looked just like Ebony but she had blue eyes and was wearing the same uniform.

'Hi, I'm Gaby' she said offering her hand to which Jane took

'Pleased to meet you' he said

The next to walk in was a woman in her mid 20's with dark brown hair that was pulled up into a pony tail, she had denim jeans and a white singlet on.

'Hi I'm Cassie, how can we be of assistance?' she asked

'Hi, I'm agent Teresa Lisbon of the CBI and this is our consultant, Patrick Jane' she said

'Nice to meet you' she said to the two agents 'Please, have a seat' she said gesturing towards the couch and chairs.

They took a seat and Lisbon became the bearer of bad news

'I am afraid to inform you that your father was found dead this morning' she said

They all looked shocked, but showed no sign of emotion

'I am aware that he did abuse you for most of your life so far and that is why you left him, were you aware that he had been released from jail?'

'Yes, we got a letter in the mail' Cassie said

Then Jane piped in 'Do you own any chalk?' he asked

'No, why?'

'No reason' he said mysteriously

'How did he die?' Gaby asked

'Three gunshot wounds, two to the back of his head and one in his back' Lisbon said

Gaby winced.

Then Lisbon's cell phone rang.

'Lisbon' she said

'Hi boss' van pelt said

'Was he at the pub last night?' Lisbon asked

'Yea, from about 8- 2.30 when he drove home, as drunk as a skunk surprisingly enough'

'Ok, go back to CBI, we are almost done here' she said

'Ok boss' she said hanging up

'This is a standard question, where were all of you between 8 pm yesterday and 3 am this morning'

'Here, CSI is on at 8:30 and none of us would miss an episode and then we went to bed'

'All of you?' she asked

'I did some marking in my room last night'

'And we did homework' Gaby said

'Can anyone clear that for you?'

'We can for each other' she said

'Ok, we will be in touch' she said

'Wait, can I see the bedroom windows' Jane said

'Sure, why?'

'Looking at the windows around here, they look quite hard to open, so if they are you can't have gotten out of the window'

'Yea, they are, the bedrooms are this way, girls if Agent Lisbon is finished, can you get ready, we are going to be really late'

'Yea' they called back

Cassie led Jane down a narrow hallway to the far end of the house where three doors led off to a bathroom and two bedrooms.

'Just let me check the floors' she said slipping into the rooms and kicking away and clothes that were on the floor

'Ok, come in'

Jane walked into the rooms and attempted to open the windows, one of which, that would be the easiest to get out of was stuck, the other one opened with a loud creak.

'Cassie, are you a light sleeper?' he asked

'Yea, why?'

'So, at midnight, you would here the creak of the window, or a door opening?'

'Yea, I hear them getting up to bathroom and stuff'

'Ok, now your room'

Patrick tried the windows, both of which were stuck he looked up to see a small window opened for air flow, but nowhere enough for someone to get out of.

They walked back to the main room where Lisbon was asking the girls some last questions.

'So, how long does it take to get from here to your father's house on foot? Lisbon asked

'I'm not sure, I haven't been there since I left, but from his house to school, it takes 40 minutes and from here it takes 15 minutes, so I'm guessing about 25 minutes if you walk fast'

'Did any of your friends know about the abuse?'

'Yea, but after he went to jail'

'Were any of them angry about the abuse?'

'Yea'

'Any of them really angry?'

'My friend, Kiki Toms'

'How did she react?'

'Every day she would go down to watch the trial, and when he was sentenced, she stood up and said, give him more for what he has done, he deserves to perish'

'Will she be at school today?'

'Don't see why she wouldn't be'

'Ok, that is all' she turned to Cassie 'Sorry for your loss, and for keeping you'

'It's fine, good luck' she said

'Come on Jane, let's go'

*

Back at CBI HQ they all filled each other in on what they had discovered. Lisbon informed them of the girl Kiki who was especially upset about the abuse. Cho told them about Gaby's mother who had tried to get custody of her at the trial and that the bullets used to kill him were .38.

'Rigsby, Van Pelt, I want you to go down to the school and talk to Kiki, Cho, keep doing what you're doing, Jane, you and I are going to see Gaby's mother, what was her name Cho?'

'Macy'

'Ok, let's go'

'I hate talking to teenagers, it's like talking to mud' Rigsby grumbled as he walked out, thinking nobody had heard him, but Jane's hearing was perfect.

'Aww, Rigsby, I think you will be intrigued and surprised by Ebony, and I'm sure her friends will be good too' he teased

'Go away Jane' he said walking to the car with Grace by his side

Grace and Rigsby went to the car and started heading down the highway, where they got stuck in traffic.

'Well, this is just great' Grace complained

'Wonder what's happened' Rigsby said

'Probably rush hour' Grace replied

They sat in the car silent for a couple of minutes, Grace still wondering about last night, when Rigsby spoke up.

'Hey, Grace, about last night, I was trying to ask you something when Lisbon walked in'

Grace perked up, finally!

'Yea, so what were you going to say?'

'Well, it's my sister's wedding this weekend and because I'm her brother I have to go, and I was wondering if you would like to accompany me?'

Grace looked shocked, this was better then what she was thinking, a dinner compared to a wedding, please!

'Of course, I would love to!' she exclaimed

'Great, it's this Saturday, would you be ready by 11?'

'Yea'

'Ok, I will pick you up then' he said, just as the exit to the school came up so they could drive faster again.

They drove the rest of the way in silence, but Grace was so happy she felt like she was going to explode inside.

They pulled up into the school's parking lot and went into the visitors centre and showed their badges to the secretary.

'Hi, we are from the CBI, what classes are Kiki Toms and Ebony Carsella in at the moment?'

'They are both in English in room 132' she said

'Thank you' Grace said as they walked out with a map of the school.

Room 132 was on the eastern side of the school and upstairs. They trudged up them and knocked on the door and came in.

'Can I help you?' a frumpy looking teacher with greying hair asked

'Hi I'm agent Grace Van Pelt and this is agent Wayne Rigsby, we are with the CBI investigating one of your student's father's murder and we have a few questions for her and one of her friends'

'Why certainly' she said eyeing the gun and the badge on the agents belts 'Who would you like to speak to?'

'Ebony and Kiki she said hoping she had remembered the names Lisbon had told her.

'Ok, girls go with the agents, you can catch up later'

The girls rose from their seats and followed Grace and Rigsby out into the corridor

'Which one of you is Kiki?' Grace asked

'I am' Kiki said. She had short black dead straight hair and bright green eyes, her uniform was slightly tattered and her blouse had stains on it, her black flats were scuffed.

'I assume Ebony has told you about her father's death'

'Yea'

'And what was your reaction to that?'

'I was shocked, it was good that he had gone to jail, and if he didn't take a life, although he nearly did quite a few times, his own shouldn't be taken, it's yin yang'

Grace smiled at the young girls answer.

'Were you aware that he had been released from jail?'

'Yea, Ebony told our group when she got the letter, we burnt it'

'Ebony said that you were especially upset about the abuse against her, why was this?'

'I, myself was abused until I was 9, not very many people know this about me, and I would like to keep it that way'

'Where were you last night between 8 and 3 last night?'

'I watched CSI and then I did my history project that was due in today until about 11.30 and then I went to bed'

'Ok, is there any way you can get out of your room, like a window?'

'My window has security catches on it' she said quietly

'What about your door?'

Kiki shifted uncomfortably 'My mum locks my door from the outside, she is over protective because of my dad and doesn't want me sneaking off at night, I have my own en suite but the window for that has security catches as well she locks it when she sees I have gone into my room.'

'Where do you live, we need to clear your alibi'

'24 Kieta heights' she said

'Will someone be home?'

'My mum will'

'Ok, that is all, you can go back to class'

'Wait' Ebony said

Grace turned around

'Yes?' she asked

'Why did I need to be here?'

'Support, our boss said we should' Grace said

'Anyway, aren't you glad to get out of class?' Rigsby joked

Ebony smiled 'Yea, true, sorry Mrs. Flannigan, but poems bore me to death'

'Ok, thanks for all your help' Grace smiled

'You too' Ebony smiled back

They went back to class and Grace and Rigsby went back to the car.

'Was that like talking to mud?' Grace teased Rigsby

'No, it was like talking to berry cider' he teased back

'She was very direct about the questions, didn't get her guard up or anything, practically screamed innocent' Grace said

'If her alibi clears, then she will be' Rigsby reminded

'Too true, let's go to her house then'

'Ok, let's go


	3. mothers touch

Lisbon and Jane pulled up to a house, if you could call it that, it looked more like a shack, Lisbon instantly felt glad that Gaby didn't live with her mother, as this is where she would be. She went up hand by her gun, at the ready, when she realised that Jane wasn't behind her.

'Jane!' she hissed

'Yes Lisbon?'

'Where are you?'

'Here' he said, popping up right behind her.

Lisbon jumped and grabbed her gun and pointed it at him, he instantly put his hands up and backed off

'Jesus Jane, don't do that, just get behind me and don't talk'

'But Lisbon, I can't you said not to be behind you'

'I said don't pop out of nowhere and scare the be-Jesus out of people'

'Oh, well I apologise deeply for my misunderstanding' he said, Lisbon just rolled her eyes and rapped on the door

'CBI, open up' she said

She heard footstep coming to the door and it opened to a lady that practically screamed trailer trash. She had greasy bleach blonde hair that was pulled up in hair rollers and grey eyes that were severely bloodshot, she was wearing a white short dressing gown with pink fuzzy slippers and had a cigarette in her hand and a whisky bottle in the other.

'Whaddya want?' she asked groggily

'I am agent Lisbon of the CBI and this is our consultant Patrick Jane, are you Macy Robins?'

'Yea, why?'

'Your ex husband was murdered last night and we want to ask you some questions regarding it.'

'I want my lawyer' she said

'Why' Jane asked, 'is there something to be discovered?'

'No, it's just whatever I say, you people twist' she said

'I assure you, we won't, we just need an alibi' she said

'Ok, fine, you have 10 minutes, make the most of them' she said letting them into her untidy house that reeked of alcohol and cigarettes.

'Would you mind putting that out?' Lisbon asked pointing to the cigarette

'Yea, but seeing you people will chuck my arse into jail if I don't, I will' she said stubbing it out into the ash tray.

'So where were you last night between 8 and 3?'

'I don't know, probably here'

'When you say probably you mean you don't know'

'Well, I was drunk last night, I had about 2 bottles of whisky and a gin and that's all I remember'

'Ok, can anyone clear th-' but she was cut off by Jane

'Can I use your bathroom?' he asked

'Down the hall 2nd door on your left' she said

Jane walked down but instead of going into the bathroom he went into the ajar door of the women's bedroom.

The bedroom consisted of a queen sized bed with a duvet slumped over it, a small dresser and a wardrobe. Patrick noticed that on top of the dresser was a gun, with blue finger prints on it. He carefully picked it up and carried it back down towards Lisbon, but making a short stop to the bathroom where he noticed that the sink was stained a light blue around the plug hole

'Ms Robins, your husband was shot with a .38 hand gun and a message was written under him in blue chalk, why might I ask that a .38 hand gun with blue finger prints on it and the fact that your sink was stained blue?' Jane said as he walked back into the main room

She stuttered for a moment and then her eyes filled with rage

'You horrid man, how dare you go snooping through my room! And besides, I have to protect myself somehow now, don't I, I don't exactly live in a safe area'

He put the gun on the table

'I got my right and left mixed up, I noticed that the exact gun used on your husband was in your room and the sink, which you said I could use, was stained blue'

She glared at him 'This, is why I wanted my lawyer' she hissed at Lisbon.

Patrick grabbed a clear evidence bag and bagged the gun then went to the bathroom and took a swab of the sink.

'Back soon with handcuffs' he said as he walked out the door towards the car.

'Go to hell' she called after them

They got into the car ready to go to the lab.

'Nice work Jane, let's just hope this holds up'

'Oh it will' he said buckling his seat belt.

*

Rigsby and Grace drove up the hill towards a upper class suburb, where every house had a pool and palm trees lined the street.

'Wow, her mum really moved on up, literally' Rigsby said

'Yea' Grace agreed

'I just don't know how the mum is going to take it when we say we need to clear her daughter's alibi'

'I was just thinking that'

They pulled outside the address and looked towards the house, and what they were up against. The house was white and rather box like, it had a big oak door and a hedge garden.

'I feel like if I breathe, that I'm going to break something' Rigsby joked about how immaculate it was

'Tell me about it'

They walked up to the front door and saw a lion head door knocker, Grace rapped it three times. A woman in her mid thirty's opened it. She had light brown hair cut into a bob, a pink shirt with a white cardigan over top, white Capri's and black pumps.

'Can I help you?' she asked

'Hi I am Agent Van Pelt and this is Agent Rigsby we are from the CBI, we have been questioning you daughter over her reaction in the Blake Carsella trial as he was found dead this morning, we were hoping if you would let us in to clear her alibi'

The woman's face went white and her lips were pursed.

'Did she give you permission or did you just demand her at gun point?'

'I assure you she co-operated at her own will' Grace explained

'Fine, if it will keep you off my Kiaralina's back then very well, I am Arabella Holmes'

They followed her into a wide spread room with a lounge, dining room, kitchen and sunroom which lead upstairs to three doors, all bedrooms and all with locks on the outside.

'Does Kiki have a sibling?' Rigsby asked

'Kiaralina, and yes she has a younger sister, Lauren, Kiki is what her friends call her, that girl, Ebony I think made it up' she said harshly

'Our victim is her father' Rigsby said coldly

'Oh' she said embarrassed

'Did you ever meet her father?'

'No, she walked everywhere'

'Are you aware that he abused his daughters?'

'Not until he was arrested'

'Ok, we are going to need to check Kiaralina's room to clear her alibi, so you can check the floor if you want' Grace said quickly getting off the subject before the two bore holes in each other.

'No need their floors are to be spotless when they leave for school' she said opening the door

They walked in and sure enough there was security catches on the windows in both the bedroom and the bathroom, the door could be locked from the outside and there was scraps of paper from a history project in her bin, her alibi held.

'She is innocent, thank you for your time' Grace said as they walked back downstairs

'You are welcome, now please I think it is best if you leave I have people coming over soon for a book club meeting'

'Certainly, have a nice day' Grace smiled as she walked out the door, Rigsby managed a small wave before rolling his eyes.

'Typical suburbia mum, can't have anyone acting up' he said

'Typical suburbia mum with a strange twist more like' Grace joked

'Too true'

They drove back to the CBI and saw Jane attempting to read Lisbon's mind Rigsby was just about to walk in the door when Grace put her arm out in front of him to stop him.

'Wha-' he said before Grace put her finger on his lips

'I want to see this, they don't know we are here' she whispered and turned back to them

Lisbon was leaning against Cho's desk and Jane was in front of her.

'Ok, you are thinking that Cho Rigsby and Van Pelt should be back by now, that the milk in the fridge is going off and that you feel bad about interrupting Rigsby and Grace in the elevator yesterday and that he was probably going to ask her somewhere'

Lisbon's eyes fluttered open. 'How did you get that she asked amazed

He put his index finger up against his nose and tapped it twice,

'Skill' he said before walking off to the couch.

She shook her head, muttered something inaudible and went to her office just as Grace and Rigsby pretended to come in and sit at their desk's

'I am amazing aren't I?' Jane asked

'What do you mean?' Grace pretended to be confused

'Now now Grace, don't try to lie to me, you can't, I read Lisbon's mind perfectly, now what did you find out, how was talking to teenagers, Rigsby?'

'Fine' he muttered

Grace turned around in her seat to see Rigsby looking at her letter again. She turned back and filled him in on the details as Lisbon walked out and they all shared information when Cho came in.

'Hey Cho, where have you been?' Lisbon asked

'Round the neighbourhood, hardly any of the neighbours knew he had been released from jail'

'So, who did know?'

'The immediate neighbours, and they just saw lights on, nobody bothered to talk to him'

'Don't blame them' Grace muttered, Jane smiled

Lisbon looked at her watch.

'It's 6.30, you can head home if you want, all we can do now, is wait for the details to come back with the gun' she said

'Yea, I might go' Grace said

'Me too' Rigsby added

'I might go after a cup of coffee' Cho said quickly, clearly not wanting to repeat the car ride in an elevator.

'Ok, see you tomorrow' Grace said picking up her jacket and purse, Rigsby grabbed his coat.

'Bye you two, oh and Rigsby, have you asked her' Jane said

'Yes, I have Jane, goodbye' he said as he went to join Grace by the door

'God he gets on my nerves he said to Grace as they waited for the elevator

'Just be glad you aren't Lisbon, she gets stuck with him' Grace said

Rigsby laughed and the elevator arrived. They walked in and pulled the fence closed. They didn't talk on the way down and Rigsby walked over to her car.

'See you tomorrow' she whispered

'You too' he said pulling her into and embrace.

She bent her head up towards his and kissed him quickly then pulled apart

'I love you' he said

'I love you too' she said back before getting into her car and watched him walk to his. She snapped out of her trance, started the engine and pulled out of the lot.


	4. weddings and escapees

Chapter 4: Weddings and escapee's

Grace pushed the sleep button on her alarm for the third time that morning, she knew that Rigsby was picking her up at 11 and it was already 9, but she could get ready in 2 hours, right? She groaned and pulled herself out of bed and grabbed a towel and headed to the shower. She felt the coldwater running down her back, _wait, this is cold water _she thought and then her brain registered what her body was feeling and she jumped out.

'Ahhh that's cold!' she screamed to herself

She waited for the water to heat up and took a shower and blow dried her hair, pulled it up into a messy pony tail. She grabbed her denim shorts and white singlet and put them on then went to have breakfast.

'What am I going to wear?' she asked herself as she walked back into her room

She looked through her wardrobe, she had only been to one wedding when she was 8 and she had worn her best dress, she tried to remember what the adults had worn, but she couldn't remember, not even her mother's outfit. She noticed a navy blue dress tucked into the back of her wardrobe, she didn't even remember buying it, but hey, it was something! The dress was a halter neck went to her knees then flowed out and it had white embroidery around the bodice. She pulled it on, perfect fit! She pulled out her black heels and put them by the door. She went to put her make up on and glanced at the clock.

'Shit!' she swore, it was 10.15, she had spent much longer in the shower then she had intended to and she still hadn't done her hair, hopefully it would fall into place nicely!

She applied foundation mascara eyeliner and eye shadow. By the time she had done this, it was 10.30. she took her out of the pony tail and let it fall down around her face. She pulled the front parts back and twisted them around and clipped them at the back of her head. She grabbed her jewellery box and looked around for her pearl earrings and the diamond necklace her mother had given her. She put them on, grabbed a few silver bracelets, put her shoes on, grabbed her black cardigan and her purse just as 11.00 came around. She went back downstairs to wait for Rigsby.

'Ding dong' the doorbell went.

She glanced at the clock on the microwave which read 11.02 and smiled as she remembered the conversation between the before the séance.

_I don't like it. She had said  
Me neither. What's the alternative? Rigsby had asked  
It's immoral.  
I don't know about that. Say your brain gets cooked if you use 'em a lot. Make you infertile, too.  
What are you talking about?  
Microwaves. What are you talking about?  
The séance this evening!  
We were looking at the microwave!_

She went over to the door where he stood.

'Hey Grace, you look stunning' he said pulling her into a hug

'You too Wayne' she said returning the embrace

They walked out to the car and he held the door open for her, she climbed into the passenger seat.

'So where is the wedding?' Grace asked

'At the country club, it will take at least 20 minutes to get to, but the reception won't start until at least 11.30, so we will make it in plenty of time' he said

'Wow, I don't think I have ever been to the country club before, how did she score that?'

'Husband-to-be's mother is filthy rich and he is the oldest child, so I guess through that'

'Lucky'

They pulled onto the highway and headed out towards the country club.

'Do you remember the séance we did when that old lady got hit by her daughter?' Grace asked

'Yea. Why?' Rigsby replied

'I was thinking about the conversation we had about the microwave earlier'

Rigsby snorted and laughed 'Oh, yes, that was funny, why were you thinking about it?'

Grace blushed 'I looked at the microwave'

They both laughed at this and the drove in a comfortable silence to the club. They pulled into the car park some 15 minutes later and Grace took it all in. the building was cream and Victorian style, behind it though was more modern architecture and looked more like a box that someone had sat on more than a building. Rigsby lead her to the door of the Victorian part and said his name and they were granted entry.

'Wayne!' someone called

Grace gasped, hoping that this wasn't one of his ex girlfriends.

'Santana!' he called back and pulled a petite brunette into a bear hug, Grace stood there looking more confused then she had in weeks.

'Grace, this is my baby sister, Santana' he explained

She quickly changed her facial expression into a warm smile.

'Nice to meet you' she said

Santana wore a red low cut dress with black heels. She had the same eyes as Rigsby but apart from that she didn't look a thing like him. She had her light brown hair straightened and a silver head band through it. A man in his mid to late 20's came over and slipped his arm around her waist.

'You remember Mitch, don't you Wayne?'

'I think so, nice to meet you' he said offering his hand

'You too' Mitch replied shaking his hand.

'Do you know where Emily is?' Rigsby asked Santana.

'Getting ready stupid' she teased

'What about mum and dad?'

'Mums by the wine and dads outside' she replied

'Ok, cool, I will see you later'

They walked off and headed toward the table completely overloaded with wine. Rigsby walked over to a women with short blonde curly hair and in what was most likely a Chanel suit, she was talking to some women who looked just like her

_Clones _Grace thought

'Let me warn you, mum doesn't take well to anyone I bring with me because I didn't marry Melanie, who she wanted me to, so I apologise for the behaviour that is bound to come'

'Great' Grace grumbled

'Hi mum' Rigsby said

'Wayne, darling, how are you' she said in a warm tone, before she noticed Grace, 'And who is this?' he voice icy cold.

'I'm fine mum, and this is Grace, she is from work'

Grace forced a smile 'Hello, how do you do?'

'Fine' she said her lips pursed before turning back to Rigsby.

'So darling, how has work been? Not too tough? Have you heard from Melanie, I gave her your number'

'Works been fine, we are in the middle of a case now, and no I haven't heard from Melanie recently, I think I saw her the other day, with a baby and what looked like her husband' Rigsby said, trying to explain to his mum that he wasn't interested.

'Oh, I don't think that would be her'

'I'm going to the ladies' Grace whispered to Rigsby

'Ok' he said giving her an apologetic look

Rigsby watched Grace walk away in the direction of the bathroom and turned to his mother.

'Mum, please have some respect, I really like Grace and she really likes me, I am allowed my own life, and Melanie has moved on long ago as have I, I have a good thing going here, don't ruin it like you did with anyone I brought home after Melanie' he said

His mother looked taken aback.

'Why sorry for trying to help you out then' she said snootily before turning back to her friends

Rigsby sighed and turned back around and waited for Grace, who thankfully didn't take long.

'God, I'm so sorry about her, I tried talking to her but she's not interested' he said sympathetically

'It's ok, there is always a nutter in the family, my aunt is 10 times worse than her'

'Let's go find my dad, he is much better than her'

'Rigsby, a mountain lion has better manners than her' she joked

He laughed 'Too true!'

They went outside to where the beer was and a man with greying hair and a grey suit stood.

'Dad' he called

'Wayne mate, how have you been, and who is this lovely lady' he said

'I have been good, and this is Grace' he said slipping his arm around her waist and pulling her in.

'She looks like a keeper' he winked to which Grace blushed

'I will keep that in mind' he laughed

'Have you seen you mother yet?' he asked

'Yes, I don't know how you do it but I admire you'

'Trust me, the amount of times I amaze myself is beyond belief'

Rigsby laughed

'Well, it's just on 11.30 now, I better go find your sister before she has a fit, see you later'

'You too' he said

'Well, it's so obvious that you don't take after your mother when he is you father' Grace said

'As long as you don't take after your aunt, it's all good'

'Don't worry, I won't, and I couldn't, I hated the holidays she came to, it was like domination the whole time!'

Rigsby laughed, 'That's what my childhood was, now we should take a seat inside'

They went back into the Victorian building and went further into it where a high ceiling room was. The room had been laid out into 2 parts with the obvious aisle down the middle. The chairs were also Victorian style and were heavily over padded. They went to their designated seats and waited for the wedding to begin.

The wedding march began and they all turned round in their seats to see the bride walking down the aisle. Rigsby's sister, Emily, had the same colour hair as him and she had pulled it up into a bun with small white flowers through it. She was slim but tall with olive skin. She heard Rigsby let out a low whistle.

'Wouldn't put her as the girl who put lipstick on me as a kid' he muttered to which Grace sniggered.

The reception went by quickly and they were soon of back at the drinks and food.

'Red or white?' he asked Grace

'Surprise me' she replied. He picked up a white and gave it to her.

'Thanks' she acknowledged

She saw Rigsby's mum heading towards them, she groaned

'What's up?' he asked

'Mother at 12 o clock' she said.

He noticed it and they quickly dodged through the crowd and into the garden.

'Wayne' they heard her calling in the distance

'There's Emily' he said pointing to the bride 'Let's go talk to her'

They pushed through the crowd and called out to her.

'Emily' Rigsby said

'Well, well, well, if it isn't my little sister, oops I mean brother' she teased

'It's nice to see you too toilet head' he teased back pulling her into a hug.

'God, I remember that, and is this your date?' she asked pointing to Grace

'Yea, I guess you could say that'

They continued talking and then Rigsby's phone went off.

'Rigsby' he said

'It's Lisbon, can you come down here, we have the mother's prints on the murder weapon and the father's blood, the bullets match and the blue stuff is defiantly chalk'

'Um, boss, I'm sort of at my sister's wedding'

Grace flinched at the word boss.

'I'm not interrupting the ceremony, am I?'

'No, it has just finished, here let me check with my sister'

He covered the mouth piece.

'Hey, Emily something has come up at work, like evidence back, the boss wants us to go in, is that ok with you, I swear we will be back by dinner and the dance'

'Yea, and when you say 'us' you mean?'

'Grace works at the CBI too, she will probably get a call soon too' he explained

'Oh, um, yea, I guess you can go, just promise to be back for the dinner and dance, I want to dance with little Wayne'

'Ok, thanks, I promise I will be back, and sis, I am taller than you'

'Whatever. Have fun'

Rigsby put the phone back to his ear.

'Yea, I can go, but I have to be back by about 5'

'You sound like a 12 year old boy with a curfew' Lisbon teased

'Gee, thanks'

'Is Grace with you?' she asked

'Yea'

'Ok, pass the message on, it's one less person I have to call.'

'Will do, see you in about half an hour'

'Hurry'

He hung up and turned to Grace.

'Let's go, she knows I'm with you so she isn't going to call you'

They pushed through the crowd trying to get back to the car when Rigsby's mother came over.

'Wayne, where are you going?' she asked curtly

'Work, something has come up, it's really important that we go'

'It's your sister's wedding day!'

'She said I can go, I will be back for the dinner, now please, we have to go!'

'Fine' she said turning away

Grace rolled her eyes and they continued to the car. They drove back to HQ in record time and raced to meet Lisbon but came face to face with Jane.

'Ah, now where have you two been, and in very formal outfits might I add'

'My sister's wedding' Rigsby said

Jane looked at him to see if he was lying.

'I'll believe you' he said

Thankfully Lisbon came in to interrupt the awkwardness.

'Van pelt, Jane, Rigsby' she acknowledged

'Boss' they said

'Where is Cho?' Lisbon asked

'Not sure, I have seen him all day, and I have been here all day' Jane replied

'I heard my name'

They all turned around and Cho stood there with his tea

'Nice Rigsby' he said noticing the formal wear

'Cut me some slack I have come from a wedding'

'Ok, when you boys have finished, I would like to get onto the case' Lisbon said

'Yea boss' Rigsby said sheepishly

They went into the bullpen and over to the spare desk where the gun lay with the lab results.

'Macy defiantly did it, her prints are on the gun, the father's blood is on the gun and the blue in the sink was defiantly chalk as was the blue on the gun, so we have enough to arrest her' Lisbon said

'We may have enough to arrest her, but why did she kill him, she has had nothing to do with him in the last 14 years' Grace said

'Jane, this is usually where your theory's come up' Lisbon said

'I'm working on it' said Jane frustrated 'I need to talk to her again'

'Not until we have a warrant, you don't go messing with murderers, I had hoped you had learnt that by now'

'The thing is Lisbon, I often don't learn' he teased. Lisbon just rolled her eyes

'Well, work on it, and your theory and get back to us, I am going to get a warrant faxed through' she said heading into her office. Jane went and lay down on the couch to think. Grace and Rigsby went to get some tea while they waited. Cho just sat at his desk. They all sat quietly for several minutes and waited for the warrant, nobody saying a word. Finally, to break the silence Lisbon came back with the piece of paper in her hand.

'Got it, let's go' she said

'Wait, boss' Grace said

'Yes Van Pelt. What is it?'

'I'm not exactly dressed for arresting people, and judging by what I heard, she isn't the type to go down without a fight'

'True, you can wait here if you want, be back up, Rigsby, what are you wanting to do?'

Rigsby looked like a kid having to choose between his two favourite toys, his job, or Grace.

'I will stay, take Cho, he has been in the office all week' he said

'Your choice' , she said , 'Cho, come one'

They all walked out and left Rigsby and Grace

'You didn't have to stay with me you know' she said

'I wanted to, besides, the office is boring when you are here all the time, Cho deserved a turn on the field'

Grace smiled at his courtesy

'Anyway, if you are here, it can't be boring' he added

Grace blushed

*

'Hello, Ms. Macy, it is the CBI, open up, we have a warrant for your arrest' Lisbon said as she knocked on the door but without result.

'Doesn't look like she is home' Cho said

'True, wait, where is Jane?'

They turned around, but Jane was gone.

'Jane!' Lisbon called

'Yes Lisbon' Jane said, his head popping his head around the side of the house

'Will you just stay with the group, or you can go back with Rigsby and Van Pelt'

'Oh, I don't think they would want to be disturbed'

'Very mature' she said sarcastically 'Now, you can pick the lock'

He did so and in record time, soon enough they were in, but Macy was nowhere to be seen.

'Macy, show yourself, police!' Lisbon called

'She isn't here' Jane said

'No, she is hiding'

'No, she isn't here, look' he said pointing to a small note stuck to a gin bottle

It read: Dear CBI, I am sure you are kicking yourselves for letting me get away so easily, you see, after you found my gun, I simply made a run for it, I may or may not be back. P.S here is a little puzzle for that miserable consultant, 10-3-25-CSSRIP, good luck, you will need it.

'What the hell, I really don't like this woman' Lisbon said exasperatedly.

'What the hell does this mean, you can't make sense of any part of it!'

'Never mind, now you have more to think about tonight, come on, we are going back'

'I'm hungry' he complained

'That's Rigsby's line, now, where is Cho?'

'Other end of the house, now come on, can't we please get takeaways or something, I missed lunch'

'God, if it will shut you up we can get Chinese or something. CHO!'

'Yes boss?'

'Come on back, we have evidence she has left'

'Right coming'

'We are getting takeaways so he will stop whingeing

'Fine by me'

They left with the evidence and headed for the closest takeaway shop.

*

'They are taking forever, do you think they got her?' Grace asked

'Probably not they will be chasing her or something, and it's 4.20 now, the dinners at 7 but there is a dance beforehand'

'Should we go, or wait for them to come back?'

'Not sure, I will ring Lisbon' he said

'I'm going to put some tea on' she said standing up and going to the kitchen

He gave her the thumbs up sign and started dialling Lisbon's number. It rang three times before she picked up.

'Lisbon' she said

'It's Rigsby, are you guys ok?'

'Yea, fine, Jane whinged and wanted food, so we are at the Chinese restaurant at the moment, what time did you have to be back?'

'5'

'You can go, there is quite a bit of traffic on the road, so be prepared for traffic jams'

'Will do, did she escape?'

'Yea, and left Jane a puzzle that is clearly annoying him'

'Shoot, well tell him good luck, might see you tomorrow'

'You too, and don't get too drunk tonight will you, we might need you'

'Yes boss' he said hanging up and went to find Grace.

He walked in to the kitchen and saw her leaning against the table with her back to him, waiting for the kettle to boil. He walked over and slipped her arms around her waist, giving her the fright of her life

'Holy shit, who is that?' she screamed turning around

'Grace calm down, it's only me' he said

'God, Wayne, please don't kill me' she said bringing her voice back down

'Sorry, Lisbon said that Macy had left, and that we can go, should we have some tea first?'

'Yes, before I have to confront your mother again' she sighed

They sat down and drank the tea.

'Something bothering you?' Rigsby asked looking at Grace's worried expression, 'It's not my mother is it?'

'No, it's about the case, what is that woman's motive?'

'I don't know, that's why we usually leave this sort of thing for Jane, should we go, Lisbon said that there is a lot of traffic on the road'

'True, it's only going to irk me if I keep thinking about it, let's go'

They put the cups in the dishwasher and went back down to the car park and braced themselves for a long trip.

'I hate traffic' Grace said

'Really' Rigsby said sarcastically 'Wouldn't have picked up on that'

She hit him playfully.

'I don't have to be here' she teased

'But you want to' he teased back

'Don't pull a Jane, one is bad enough!'

He laughed.

They drove to the country club and got back just after 5.

'Better go find my sister' he said

They walked towards the front garden, when they were interrupted by Rigsby's mother

'Hello love, when did you get back?'

'Just now, where is Emily?'

'Not sure, last I saw of her she was out back with her friends, but that was an hour ago'

'Ok, if you see her, tell her we are back'

'Ok, the dance and dinner will be starting shortly, so I would head that way'

'Thanks, see you later'

They went to the ballroom and collected their names and what table they would be sitting at, they were both at table 3.

'Attention people, the newly-weds are going to kick off the dance floor' someone called

They turned around and sure enough, Emily and her husband were on the dance floor. Grace watched them dance happily until Rigsby started pulling her towards the dance floor.

'Wayne, wait'

'What's wrong?'

'Can we at least wait until some other people are out there?'

'Why?'

'I'm not a very good dancer' she admitted

'Well, that makes two of us, come on, while the night is still young'

'Fine' she said letting him pull her along.

She took his and placed her other one on his shoulder, she felt his and on her waist and started swaying to the music.

'I love you Grace' he whispered in her ear

'I love you too' she whispered back

The rest of the night sped by quickly and Grace was on to her fourth glass of wine and was starting to feel tipsy.

'Wayne, what time is it?' she asked

'11.30, are you wanting to go?'

'Yea, sort of, is that ok?'

'Yea, I was just thinking of leaving as well, I need to say goodbye to people though'

'Sure, I will be out by the car'

'Be careful'

'I will'

She walked out to the car, but luck not being on her side, she walked straight into Rigsby's mum, again.

'Oh, sorry Ma'am' she said, before realising who it was

'I should think so, where is Wayne?'

'Saying goodbye, we are leaving and will most likely have work in the morning'

'You should be more considerate, I don't think you are worthy of Wayne, he deserves better'

That was the final straw for Grace, having taken everything that woman had thrown at her had blown her fuse, and the wine hadn't helped

'For your information, Wayne came to me first, he is allowed his own life, and also the team has stuck their neck out for us as relationships aren't actually allowed between colleagues and our boss has made it so we can be together, after having to hide it for so long, and finally being allowed it, this is the last thing I need, some narcotic woman trying to tell me and her own son what we can and can't do, you are not my mother, and you no longer have power over Wayne, so with that I bid you fare well' she shouted before running towards the car park, tears starting to run down her face. Rigsby, who had seen the end of the argument ran after her, briefly stopping to speak to his mother.

'I asked you to be nice, I guess that was just too much, she is right, you need to get a hold of yourself, otherwise you are going to die a cold and lonely woman' he said before continuing to pursue after Grace.

He saw her leaning against the car, her head in her hands, crying. He went up and gently pulled her into his arms, she slipped her arms around him, continuing to cry into his chest. He stroked her hair.

'It's ok, we can go now love, you did the right thing saying that to her, I'm so sorry that it happened, I shouldn't have left you' he whispered

She pulled her head up towards him, her mascara running down her cheeks.

'She doesn't know me, how can she be so rude?'

'That is unfortunately just how she is, now, come on, let's go home' he said kissing her quickly

They got into the car and Grace felt completely worn out by the day's events and felt herself slipping off to sleep. She was awoken by Rigsby gently shaking her.

'Come on sleepy head you are home' he said

She stretched and opened the door to get out, but got head rush and felt herself falling, Rigsby caught her luckily.

'Thanks' she said

He walked her up to the front door and turned to face her.

'Thanks for taking me, I had a really nice time, except for that last few minutes with your mother'

'I truly am sorry about that' he said

'Don't be, it's her loss after all'

He smiled 'I love you' he said pulling her into a embrace

'You too'

She bent up her head to kiss him felt his lips brush her own. She pulled her hands up to his neck and pulled him closer. She gently pushed his lips apart with her tongue and gave in to her emotions. They broke the kiss but still remained holding each other.

'I had better go' he said

She smiled sadly 'See you tomorrow'

She kissed him quickly and grabbed her keys out of her bag

'Love you' he said

'You too' she replied. She watched him walk out to his car and opened her door and went to bed, it had been a long day.


	5. cold killer

Patrick Jane hardly ever slept because he didn't want to, but tonight was different, he didn't sleep because he couldn't sleep, why had that woman killed Blake Carsella, and what the hell did that riddle mean? He glanced at the clock, 3.47 it read, he stood up and started pacing, maybe the riddle lead to the motive? He grabbed his copy of the riddle and sat down to look at it

'10-3-25-CSSRIP what could that mean?' he said out loud to himself. He looked at the RIP part of the puzzle, _RIP can stand for rest in peace, or rest in pain, so someone is going to die, being shot by her most likely, but what about the numbers? No codes I can think of match, maybe it's a date? _At that thought he glanced at the digital calendar on the wall above the bullpen it was the 25th of the third 2010, or 25-3-2010, which was 2010-25-3, that meant she was going to kill someone today, but who! He focused on the last part of the puzzle, _CSS nothing comes to mind that could be long for it, maybe it's the name, but it has no vowels in it, goddammit, why can't I get this? _Finally sleep deprivation got the better of him and he lay on his couch unconscious, but not asleep.

*

Graces phone started to ring at 9 the next morning, she groggily sat up and felt around for her phone.

'Van Pelt' she said, still half asleep

'Jane has got the code cracked, get down here in the next half hour if you can' Lisbon said

'Yea, whatever boss, be there soon' she hung and slumped back into bed.

'I don't want to get up' she called out to nobody

Knowing that she had to she pulled herself out of bed and into the shower, learning from yesterday's mistake, she waited for the shower to warm up before getting in. Half an hour later she found herself at her desk with her bullet proof vest on, still not knowing what Jane had figured out. Finally Rigsby arrived with his vest on and sat at his desk as Lisbon came in with Jane, everyone perked up, waiting to find out what was going on.

Jane walked over to the whiteboard and picked up a marker. 10-3-25-CSSRIP he wrote.

'The RIP stands for rest in peace, and if you are evil, rest in pain' he said 'Which is often written on people's graves, so that means someone is going to die, the numbers are today's date out of order so someone is going to die today, and this last part I only figured out an hour ago if even that, it is the person's name without vowels, and the name is' he turned around and put the CSS by itself but spaced the letters apart where the vowels would go. He turned back and on the board read Cassie, Ebony and Gaby's guardian. The whole team gasped.

'Why does she want to kill Cassie?' Rigsby asked

'She wants custody of the kids, the whole time, Cassie was the main target, Blake was killed just in case the girls had to live with him, once Cassie was dead, she would be the most likely guardian, being one of the girl's mother. So that is the motive' he said, taking a bow.

'Shouldn't we warn Cassie?' Grace asked

'That's the thing, we tried, no pick up, that was just after Jane told me, so that's why you lot are here, I think Macy is already there, and we need to get there, quick' Lisbon explained

'So, let's go!' Jane said

'Usually, I would tell you off for that, but the man's right, we have to go, Jane if you are going into the building put a vest on' Lisbon said

'Yes almighty Lisbon' he teased

'Jane, this is my serious face, put the damn vest on and get to the car, Van Pelt, Rigsby, you two go around the back of the house, Jane, Cho and I will go from the front, do you know the address?'

'Yes' Grace said

'Good, see you there'

They got in the car and sped to the house, surprisingly not getting pulled over at all. When they arrived, it looked just like any normal house on a Sunday morning, curtains pulled, but the back door was left slightly open.

'Lisbon' he said into the transmitter

'Yes?'

'We are here now, the back door is open and no signs of distress are visible, what do you want us to do?'

'Wait for us, the more people the better at the moment, keep a low profile, Lisbon out'

He put back the transmitter and turned to Grace.

'All we can do is wait' he said

'No surprises there' Grace sighed

'What's up?' he asked

'Nothing, just tired' she replied

'Hung-over?'

'Na, just tired'

They sat in the car and waited for the rest of the team to give the signal to move in. they saw the other SUV pull into the drive way and Jane's bird call signal was sounded. They got out of the car, guns at the ready and pushed open the back door and burst into the house.

'CBI, show yourself' the heard Lisbon call from the front of the house

'Bitch' someone muttered, it sounded like it was coming from the main room. They carefully walked down the narrow hall, pointing the gun into every room as a precaution they entered the lounge at the same time as Lisbon, and saw Cassie, Ebony and Gaby, all tied up on the floor, and Macy with a gun pointed at them.

'Drop the gun Ms Robins' Lisbon said

'And if I don't?'

'Then I will be forced to shoot'

Then it all happened at once, Macy shot at Cassie, getting her in the stomach, Lisbon shot at Macy and in her final spin, Macy shot at Grace, hitting her square in the chest. The heard the quiet whimpering of Cassie and Ebony, and the crash as Grace fell to the floor.

'Grace!' Rigsby yelled dropping his gun

'Cho, get Macy in hand cuffs, Jane go help Cassie and call an ambulance, now!' Lisbon ordered as she ran over to tend to Grace

'I got it boss' Rigsby said

'You sure?'

'Yea, go help Cho, or Jane'

Lisbon quickly picked up on the fact that he wanted to be alone with Grace and left to help Jane.

'Grace, can you hear me?' Rigsby said, worry obviously in his voice.

'It hurts' she muttered

'I can't see any blood, oh god, she should have got me, why should you have to go through this twice? I should have put myself in front of you'

'Wayne, you couldn't have seen it coming, she wasn't aiming at me, she could have missed, she could have got someone else'

'Where did she get you?'

'Chest, in the middle, I will be fine. Maybe a broken rib like last time, I don't know'

'Oh, god, this hasn't been a good weekend for you, has it?'

'It's had its ups and downs' she replied meekly

Lisbon walked back into the room

'Ambulance is here, they're just loading Cassie in, they will be here for you soon'

'Ok, thanks boss'

She turned back to Rigsby.

'I'm tired' she said

'Oh, god Grace, please tell me it's from lack of sleep, not because you have been shot'

'I don't know' she said, her voice growing faint

The paramedics came in to put her in an ambulance

'She says she is tired' Rigsby said as he walked after them

'Sir, we will do all we can to make sure she is ok' one of them said

'I will be ok, Wayne'

And with that she was put in the ambulance and taken back to the hospital

'It's ok Rigsby' Jane said putting a hand on his shoulder. Rigsby waited for the joke that usually followed, but this time it didn't.

'Thanks Jane' he said

Lisbon came over to them with Ebony and Gaby, both fully informed why Macy was there.

'The suspect is in the hospital, the girl's primary caregiver is in hospital, one of our team is in hospital. There is nothing we can do at the moment, so we may as well go there too, if you want, that is' she said

'Sure' Rigsby said, not noticing anything around him, especially the fact that he was about to step onto the road, into the path of a car

'Whoa Rigsby' Lisbon said pulling him back 'We don't need you in the hospital too'

'Sorry boss, Cho, wanna ride with me or get squished in the other car somehow?'

'I think I will ride with you' Cho said

'Aww look at those boys, all grown up' Lisbon teased

'Just because you have to ride with Jane' Cho called back

'Whatever' he said, not interested

Rigsby pulled out of the small drive way he was parked in and at great speeds, drove off to the hospital.


	6. hospitals and dinners

Everything seemed blurry to Grace as she was rushed into the ER, she felt tired but fought to stay awake.

'Grace, stay with us' someone was calling

She felt someone placing something over her mouth and felt the vibrations of the gurney as it pushed through.

'I am worried that the bullet hit at such close range and with such force that it may have hit at a weird angle causing a rib bone being cracked in a way that it may be threatening her heart and lungs' someone, most likely a doctor was saying.

At this news someone shouted.

'NO'

'Rigsby, come on, we have to let them treat her, she is strong, she will come out ok, she did last time'

And as that was spoken Grace was pushed through the final set of doors into the radiology department.

*

The team sat in the waiting room with Ebony and Gaby, all silent, looking at the clock every two minutes. Nobody sat any closer to one another than 2 seats apart. Lisbon was staring at the floor, looking at the patterns in the carpet. Cho was reading a old national geographic magazine. Rigsby had his face in his hands, constantly thinking about Grace. Ebony and Gaby were sitting next to each other holding hands and making a small whimper every now and again. As for Jane, he had made a makeshift couch and was lying there, thinking about whatever his thoughts lead him to. Lisbon once again looked at the clock, she swore it had stopped or was so slow it could've timed a sloth's race. It was 12.24, about two hours since the incident. She sighed and stood up.

'Nothing is happening, I'm going to the nearest take out place and getting some food, call me with any news, I will be 10 minutes tops, you girls want anything?' Lisbon said

'No thank you' they both said

'Suit yourself' she said as she walked out the door, car keys in hand.

Cho put down the national geographic and came over to Rigsby.

'She will be ok, she said so the doctors said so, they were just checking to make sure nothing is serious and if it is threatening her, they will fix it' he reassured

'God, I hope so'

'She will be, just don't beat yourself up about it, ok?'

'Yea sure'

As he said that a doctor came in.

'Ebony and Gaby?' she said

'Here ma'am' Ebony said

'Cassie is stable, you can come see her, she probably won't be kept in overnight'

'Thank you doctor' Gaby said as they walked towards the doors

'Wait!' Rigsby said

'Yes agent Rigsby?'

'How is Grace doing?'

'I am not sure, I can check and have them tell you if you would like?'

'Yes, that would be good thanks'

They stayed waiting even after Lisbon had returned with the food. By now it was 12.45 an they still had no news as promised. Just as all hope for news had gone, another doctor came in, a man this time.

'Agents, Ms Van Pelt is stable and you can talk to her, she has 6 broken ribs and slight internal bleeding, we would like to keep her overnight, but that is up to you, the patient and the results of the MRI.' He said

At this Rigsby jumped up and practically ran to the ICU.

'Whoa Rigsby, the rest of us want to see Van Pelt too' Lisbon said as she Cho and Jane ran along behind

He pushed through the doctors and nurses and ran into Grace's room, stopping abruptly as he saw Grace's sleeping figure. He grabbed a chair and pulled it up beside her bed and started to stroke her hair.

'Rigsby?' she asked

'Who else?' he said back

She turned herself over to face him, her long red hair splayed across her pillow.

'How are you feeling?' he asked taking her hand

'I've been better'

'Any adrenaline this time?'

'No, the doctors thought that it was a bad thing, but I'm not sure'

'As long as you are happy' he said bending down to kiss her on the cheek

The door opened and Lisbon, Jane and Cho came in.

'You know Grace, I remember asking you to not put me through this again' Lisbon said

'Sorry boss, trust me, I didn't want it to'

'That's good, the doctors say that that if your MRI results are good, you can go, there isn't much they can do for you here, ribs fix in their own time'

'Do we know how Macy is doing?' Grace asked

'No, not officially but from what I hear, she should be fine, I missed on purpose, being dead doesn't make you sorry, that's just too easy, no, I want her in jail' Lisbon said.

Grace smiled 'Didn't know you had that in you, if they are threatening people, shouldn't you shoot to kill?'

'Yea, I can just say I had a shaky hand' she replied

The doctor walked in to speak to Lisbon.

'Ms Robins is stable, and we have Grace's results, she can be discharged in an hour, she was lucky, but she does have 6 broken ribs so she will need to take it easy, take 2 painkillers every 3 hours.' He said

'Thank you doctor' Lisbon said as she walked out to arrest Macy.

'I'm going back to the waiting room' Jane said

'I will go assist Lisbon' Cho added quickly

'Fine by me' Rigsby said turning back to Grace

'I'm so glad you will be ok' Rigsby said

'Me too, see what did I tell you, a fuss over nothing' Grace replied cheekily

'You are something Grace, you are the best thing that has happened to me' he said holding her hand 'If something were to happen to you, I wouldn't know what to do, I love you Grace, I do now, and I will forever.

Grace started to cry, 'I love you too'

'Don't cry Gracie' he said

'I'm happy crying, don't worry' she said

'I will go back to the waiting room, let you get ready' he said turning towards the door.

'Rigsby wait' she said urgently

'Yea, what is it?'

She pushed herself upright and pulled him towards her, kissing him hard on the lips he responded, pulling her closer, kissing her within an inch of his life. The need for air broke them apart.

'See you soon' she said

'You too' he replied as he walked out the door

She pulled on the clothes she had been wearing earlier this morning and carefully walked back to the waiting room where the rest of the team, Cassie, Ebony and Gaby all stood.

'Grace' Cassie said 'So glad you are alright'

'You too, how are you feeling?'

'Fine, I just have to take it easy for a while'

'That's good' Grace smiled

'Macy is fine and has been arrested, she will have her trial next Monday' Lisbon said

'I don't understand one thing' Cassie said to Lisbon

'What's that?' Lisbon replied

'Why kill Blake, why the hell would social services let them there, if they left in the first place?'

Jane spoke up before Lisbon got the chance

'Macy was pissed off at him, he hurt her baby girl, which annoyed her deeply, also, she was planning to come back into Gaby's life, and when they got away, there was no way that she could get her, so she killed Blake, to tie up loose ends, to create a diversion, and to get revenge, once he was out of the picture, all she had to do was kill you, and when we came to investigate, she ran for it, and left a puzzle for us, unfortunately, she didn't leave a good enough one, so that's why' he said simply

'Well, that's a bit more elaborate then what I was going to say, but still.' Lisbon said

'Either way, case closed!' Jane said

'Great, I get to digest more greasy calories' she said sarcastically

'I have a better idea' Jane said looking at Lisbon with a sly look on his face

Everyone waited for what would follow.

'Jane, use your words' she said

'Why don't we all go out for dinner?' he said

'All being?'

'Our team, and Cassie, Ebony, and Gaby, if they would like to' he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

'Yes, that would be nice for once' she agreed. She turned to Cassie 'Would you like to join us?'

'I would love to, girls?'

'Sure' they said

As they were readying to leave, a man with dark brown floppy hair came running up to Cassie.

'Oh, god Cassie, I am so glad you are ok!' he said pulling her into a hug, being cautious of her arm.

'Jesse' she said, into his chest.

They pulled apart and turned back to the team

'This is Jesse, I work with him, we go way back.'

'Hi, I'm Patrick Jane' he said to Jesse 'Would you be interested in joining us, and these three here for dinner tonight?'

'Why, sure, I would love to'

'Brilliant, that's settled then, now, how about le Dante? It's a French restaurant downtown, it's rather nice' he said

'Sure' they all replied

'See you at, let's say, 7.30?'

'Sounds like a plan'

They all went their separate ways, Lisbon Jane and Cho went back to CBI to fill out paper work, and Rigsby took Grace home.

'Will you be ok?' Rigsby asked

'Yea, I will be fine' she said

'Ok, if you want I will pick you up at quarter past?'

'I would like that very much' she said as she took a step closer to him.

He pulled her into him and held her close, like he didn't want to lose her. She felt his pain, she felt that he felt that he was responsible for what had happened. She pulled in to kiss him and felt him channel his pain into the kiss, like it was his last.

'Wayne, it isn't your fault, please, for me, don't beat yourself up about it'

'I know, it's just. Oh god. I don't know, I don't want to lose you'

'You haven't and you won't, you complete me, I love you, I really do'

'I love you too' 'I had better get going'

'See you tonight'

'You too'

She watched him walk back down the path, to the car and drive off. She got her keys out and unlocked the door, and went upstairs to sleep, the pain in her chest still strong. Grace slept until 6 then got up and showered and started to decide what to wear. She picked out a deep blue blouse and a black high waisted skirt and black pumps. She did her hair and makeup then went down to make herself a snack. Rigsby arrived at 7.15 as promised.

'Hey, ready to go?' he asked

'Sure am' she replied

'How you feeling?'

'Fine, I hate broken ribs, they're a pain'

'I bet'

They got in the car and drove to le Dante. When they arrived, everyone but Jane was already there. Cassie wore a white blouse and a black high waisted skirt, Ebony wore a denim high waisted mini skirt and a black singlet, Gaby wore the same but with a green singlet, Jesse wore a white collared shirt and black pants, Cho wore what he had worn when he went undercover at the country club, when Scarlett was murdered, Lisbon wore a black blouse and a cream high waisted skirt.

'Where's Jane?' Rigsby asked

'I don't know, but knowing Jane, he will have something planned' Lisbon said

'Great' Jane said

At exactly 7.30, Jane arrived.

'Hello, ready to start?' he said with a smile

'If it means food, then yes, I am ready to start' Rigsby said

They sat down and ordered, and seeing it wasn't a busy night, they got their food quickly.

'So Cassie, what was life like for you before you adopted these two?' Jane asked

Cassie sat up suddenly

'What are you wanting to know?' she asked

'Well, that depends on what you are wanting to tell me, to me you look around 25, far too young in your books for children, so there was some special reason you took them in, and it is irking me as I cannot figure it out' he said

Cassie looked taken aback.

'Well, if you must know, I was abused myself as a child, I was lucky enough to have my mother still, and I couldn't see two bright young girls thrown into the foster system' she said coolly

Jane opened his mouth to add something but was cut off by Lisbon

'I am sorry if he has offended you in anyway, I am thinking of putting him on a leash if he doesn't pull his act together' she said glaring at Jane

'No, it's quite alright, he is just curious, nothing wrong with that' she said lightly

They finished dinner and dessert quickly, but stayed talking until well after 10, until Lisbon noticed the time.

'Oh, god it's late, and I have paperwork waiting for me, oh joy, Jane, where are you sleeping tonight?'

'Couch' he said like she had asked if the sky was blue.

'Are you going to come now, or walk?'

'Aw, fine, I will go now, just because you want me to' he teased, which earned him a smack around the ear.

'Ouch' he said rubbing his ear 'Right then let's go, Check!'

A waiter came over to him and gave him the paper

'I'm paying for everything, my team knows better than to argue with me, and seeing you are my guests, I am paying for you too' and with that Patrick signed before anyone could say otherwise

'We had better go too, it's school tomorrow' Cassie said standing up, Ebony, Gaby and Jesse in tow

'Thank you very much Mr Jane for such a lovely evening' she thanked

'It's all my pleasure' he replied in his usual gentleman manner.

'I'm going to go too' Grace said

'Seeing I drove you I had better take you home too' Rigsby smiled

With that they all left the restaurant. Rigsby pulled up to Grace's house and she got out. As Wayne got out too, Grace's face turned white as she felt around her purse for her keys.

'What is it?' he asked

'I didn't take my keys with me because I knew I wasn't driving, I didn't even think about how I would get in' she said

'Do you have a spare anywhere around?'

'No, well not here, I have one in my desk at HQ'

'You can stay at mine if you want' he offered

She smiled, 'Thanks, that would be good'

Wayne smiled at this, 'Sound good' he said getting back in the car.

They drove back to Rigsby's and he gave her one of his old t-shirts to sleep in. he showed her into his room and he went back down to the couch, when he heard Grace calling

'Wayne' she said

He came back up and she was sitting up in the bed, despite her broken ribs she had taken off the t-shirt Rigsby had given her.

'This bed is big and I'm cold' she began, but he had already picked up on what she was saying. He slipped into the bed beside her.

'Wow, it was like you read my mind' she said

'One Jane is enough' he whispered into her ear

She smiled and pulled in closer to Rigsby, he had one hand around her shoulders and the other around her waist she wove her fingers through his, feeling him completely relax against her. She knew that she didn't need to write him letters, or tell him she loves him every waking moment, and she knew that the feeling was mutual. Grace Van Pelt lay in Rigsby's arms, completely and utterly content.


End file.
